A typical computing network might consist of multiple local area networks (LANs) that are a part of a wide area network (WAN). Each LAN typically consists of multiple client computers that can communicate through a switch, router, or similar device with one or more server computers. The server computers might include an application server, which can perform business logic functions and allow access to databases and/or web pages, a file server, which can store programs and data files, and a content delivery server, which can speed the delivery of content to the client computers by storing content received from the WAN. Other servers that might be used in a LAN include web servers, transactions servers, and database servers and their associated databases.
Data transmission speeds within a LAN are typically higher than those between a WAN and a LAN. Communication of large files, such as streaming audio/video presentations, from a WAN to a LAN can be particularly slow and expensive. To increase speed and decrease cost, the use of content delivery has been developed. With content delivery, large files might be sent from a WAN to content delivery servers in multiple LANs at night when bandwidth demands are reduced. With the files pre-positioned at the LANs in this manner, users can retrieve the files at LAN speeds rather than at WAN speeds. This not only increases performance for the LAN users, it frees the communication channels between the WAN and the LANs for other data during high traffic periods.